In the Service of Liars and Killers
by SpyGlass9T
Summary: After the Avengers were thrown together and save New York, each went their separate ways. Now, 3 months later, Tony and boredom mix to result in a little hacking into SHIELD's classified servers. What he finds maybe be reason for the Avengers to assemble again... Team friendship fic (but no Thor. Soz guys, he never gets the memo.)
1. Chapter 1

Hi! This is my first Avengers fanfic. Please be nice and review with suggestions! :P  
I'm sorry is characters are OoC. I try my best.

Disclaimer: The Avengers are not owned by me.

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CHAPTER ONE:

3 months since the "Battle for New York", and the Avengers had well and truly gone their separate ways. There had been no affable get-togethers, not even any phone calls. And, no crazy scientists or aliens had tried to wreak havoc on the world.

Because there was no need to assemble, they didn't assemble. They hadn't exactly gotten along that well, after all.

But, _dammit_ if Tony was feeling a bit put out. They were meant to be a team, not a group of individuals who only fought together when the world was in need of saving (or avenging as the matter may be). Sometimes the billionaire wondered whether he was the only one wishing for a reunion. It seemed a little ridiculous – he was the one who supposedly hated cooperation – yet here he was, bored and alone in the recently completed Tower, wishing for some excitement in his life.

Pepper was on a conference in Japan, organizing the creation of a new SI branch in Tokyo. Happy was with her to ensure her safety. Platypus was on some supposedly top-secret assignment in War Machine for the government and, even though Tony could easily hack the Pentagon files to figure out what he was doing, there was really no point because Rhodes wouldn't talk to him anyway. Guy was too devoted to the uniform - sort of like one 'Captain Righteous'.

But then again, the thought of hacking did give the bored genius an idea.

Grabbing his SI tablet off the kitchen table in front of him, Tony grinned and began to electronically infiltrate the SHIELD server. He hadn't had time to just sit around and do nothing since the battle – his life having been full of attending press conferences, organizing the spread of resources by the Maria Stark Foundation, and making an appearance as Iron Man during the cleanup and rebuilding process. Tony usually worked on new suit designs when he had free time, but Mark XLII was currently being fabricated and he had a few hours before he would be able to do any test flights.

Ergo, the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist was bored. And Stark and bored was a recipe for trouble.

Only a half hour later, Tony was exploring the SHIELD server. He hadn't been rejected or blocked from the system and Fury hadn't made any angry phone calls, yet. Scrolling through the classified files and assignments of the level 7 agents of SHIELD, Tony only stopped to read those of Agent Barton and Romanoff.

It seemed that the pair were working together to take down black market traders of the Chitauri weapons. The mission had been in progress ever since the invasion, meaning that it must be a long and arduous job. Tony frowned. He would love to get his hands on some of the foreign technology himself to take it apart and figure out how it worked. Maybe he could hack into the transport orders for the secured weapons and get them delivered to the Tower. Old Nicky shouldn't mind too much. He would do a much better job of dissecting the equipment than any of those monkeys in SHIELD technology department.

The billionaire continued his search through the servers and raised an eyebrow when he discovered that the Captain was marked as an agent 'on leave'. Interesting.

After Thor had departed for Asgard with Loki in his care, the rest of the team had split up. Clint and Natasha had obviously returned to SHIELD, going back to their lives as assassin and spy. Tony himself had given Bruce a ride to the nearest airport, offering futilely one last time that the doctor stay in Manhattan, before the miniaturized Hulk took a plane to some back-water country in Africa.

The good Captain had departed New York to see the rest of the world. He was off somewhere in Europe, probably at a loss with all of the technology. The man probably didn't even know that when he returned, he already had a job waiting for him.

Leaning further back into his chair, the genius continued to peak his nose into top-secret files. It was only when he found a folder, hidden within Fury's own secure computer classified at level 9 security clearance that he stopped. His fingers froze over the screen as he clicked on the file to read the details.

He did not even know that he had been searching for it, but here it was - Agent Coulson's personnel file. Tony stared at the information in the file he had just discovered long and hard, feeling his already faulty heart freeze for a second.

_WHAT?_

Reading the words over and over again, the billionaire felt his anger growing. Finally, he slammed the tablet on the table and gritted his teeth.

There was going to be Hell to pay for this. Fury was not going to get away with lying about this of all things. He ordered JARVIS to get his suit ready on the assembly pad and strode from the room, grabbing his phone as he went.

All of the pain and loss he had felt for the last few months became fuel for the absolute _fury_ he felt.

Under the category "status", Phil had been marked as "alive".

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Keep a look our for next week's chapter!  
Ciao for now...


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! As promised, chapter two. :D**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Avengers characters.**

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**CHAPTER TWO:**

Steve was sipping on a coffee in a small Parisian café when he received the call. The day was beautiful, only a few wisps of cloud in the sky, and he had an excellent view of the Eiffel Tower. It had been a peaceful 3 months since the invasion. After being woken from the ice, the iconic hero had been thrown head first into another battle – this time against a crazed god of Lies and Chaos. It had all been too much of a shock. The new technology, the different mindset of the American people, all of his friends... dead.

To him, World War 2 had only been 4 months ago. To the rest of the world, it had been a lifetime. Part of the reason the Captain had left Europe until the end of his tour of the world because in Europe there was London. And in London there was Peggy Carter – the love of his life – as an old lady in a nursing home. The heartache at simply the thought of her had been too much and the ever-shy captain had stayed away.

But their meeting was inevitable, and so he had eventually built up the courage to pay Peggy a visit. She had smiled wanly and gazed with sightless misty eyes at his general direction. The old Peggy was still there, Steve had been able to still see her in the face of the lady lying in the nursing home, but the fire was gone. There had just been a deep-seeded tiredness.

What had been most startling and a real revelation to the captain had been in the form of a black and white photo on Peggy's bedside table. The picture was one that he recalled. It was taken during the war by Bucky. Peggy, Howard and Steve were standing in the middle of the frame grinning and laughing. The photo brought a smile to the captain's face as he reminisced for a second.

However, when Steve looked at the signature and message on the back of the frame, his eyes had widened and something had jolted heavily in his chest.

_To Peggy,  
Howard passed away just last week. I know he was no longer the man you knew from the wartime and I know that you had a falling out over the Captain, but I think he would have wanted you to have this – to remember the good times. I will come to visit you again once I've graduated from MIT and the company is all in order.  
Your Godson,  
Tony Stark_

Steve's lost love had smiled and croaked out "you look a lot like a guy I once knew, did you know that?" as the man out of time stood frozen. Peggy and Howard had stopped being friends because of him. Peggy had been Tony's godmother. The realisation made the captain desperate for air, and he had quickly left the nursing home and boarded the next flight bound for Paris.

Perhaps he could be considered a coward for running away, but it was too much to face all at once. The pain was too fresh and sharp.

Now here he was, trying to lose himself in the liveliness of France and forget everything he had left behind. It had been working – Steve had started relaxing.

And then he had received a call from _Tony Stark_ of all people. That put a damper on his day and threw him back in to a world full of hurt and depressing thoughts. But, Steve couldn't reject the call (his manners denied him that ability) and he fumbled with the mobile for a bit before pressing accept.

Tentatively, he held the way-too-high-tech smart phone to his ear. "Hello?"

Steve could practically hear the smirk in the reply. _"I bet that 14 and a half seconds I was waiting were spent with you trying to figure out how to reply."_

Steve gritted his teeth. "Well… you wouldn't lose any money."

_"__Hah! You old geezer. I thought these past 3 months were supposed to be spent catching up to date? You know, after your time served as a Capsicle?" _

Steve sighed. "What do you want, Stark? I'm betting you didn't call just to have a laugh."

He had been expecting a snarky reply, but when there was silence on the other end of the phone, for a second the man-out-of-time thought that the connection had cut. _"Where are you at the moment?"_

Steve frowned over the phone. "Europe. France, to be exact. Why? Is there some global crisis that needs our attention?"

_"… __You're not too far from the truth; but I don't want to do this over the phone. I want to talk to all of the Avengers. Maybe minus Thor."_

"Stark-"

_"__I need you to get into contact with Barton and Romanoff. They should be in Germany on a mission."_

The captain was extremely bemused by the urgency in billionaire's voice. "Give me some straight answers here, Stark. Why do you need all of us to meet up again? I'm guessing it isn't for social purposes, but it isn't the end of the world either."

Stark tried to cut in, but Steve didn't let him. "-And, if you're so desperate for Black Widow and Hawkeye to be in on this, why not ask Director Fury?"

There was silence on the other end. _"He's… part of the problem. Just… do this for me, will you Steve? If it turns out that what I've got to tell you is a waste of time, then I will never call you Capsicle again."_

Steve massaged his temple as he came to a decision. "The deal is you have to give up on the nicknames full stop."

_"__Done. Just so you know, I won't be wrong. Genius, remember?"_

"How could I forget?" Steve stood from his seat at the café and began to arrange his belongings. "So, where and when?"

_"__One week's time at Central Park, where Thor used the cube to zap back to the other side of the magical rainbow."_

"What are you going to be doing in that time?"

_"__Tracking down our resident Mr. Severe-Anger-Management-Issues. You bring the lovebirds."_

"Fine, Stark. See you then." The click on the other line of the phone signaled that the billionaire had hung up. Steve closed his eyes and sighed, putting his phone away. A small smile lifted the corner of his lips. He had been starting to get bored, hopefully this would add some excitement back into his life and distract him from… things.

Tony Stark may be the one person in the world Steve really did not want to see at the moment, but he was also the one person who could offer him the thrill that he had been missing.

It was time for the Avengers to assemble once again.

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**Okay... maybe that ending was a bit dramatic. Oh well. **

**Anyway, please review! It would make me so happy :D (and maybe increase update rates...)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, in the past week I have not become the proud owner of the "Avengers" movie. It still isn't mine, and I doubt it ever will be... :(**

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**CHAPTER THREE:**

The grungy and fetid back alleys of India couldn't have been a better home, or so Bruce believed. Despite the poverty and a few… less than aesthetically pleasing regions of the small village in which the doctor currently worked, there was a sense of peace and calm. The fact that there were so many requiring his assistance kept the scientist busy, and helping others seemed to make the Other Guy more subdued, so it was a win-win situation.

Well, not quite.

Often, in the cramped confines of his shared living quarters, Bruce longed for the life that Tony had offered not so long ago – a life filled with exciting experiments with state-of-the-art equipment and luxury. It made the doctor feel guilty that he wanted out of the lonely life that he had. He felt selfish for no longer wanting to help those in need, and instead fuel his own curious and scientific mind.

Before the invasion, Bruce had thought that his life as a doctor in remote regions that needed his assistance would help atone for the deaths the Other Guy had caused. He had been happy in his work, occasionally taking a day or two off to look into a cure for his... disease.

When Ms Romanoff had burst into his life, acting calm and nonchalant, he had accepted the details of the contract because he would get to meet the Tony Stark. Not that he would dare boost the billionaire's ego by telling him that, of course.

Bruce had been interested by the technology of the cube. It had been a while since he worked in such a high-tech laboratory with free reign for quite some time. Also, he liked the way that Tony and he had worked so smoothly and seamlessly, as if they had known each other's thought patterns for years.

It had come as a surprise when the mechanical genius had actually fan-girled over him when they first met in the helicarrier. Tony Stark, a man who was considered the brightest mind of the century, had been impressed by the work of Bruce Banner.

And not only him, he had loved the Other Guy. Not many were unperturbed by the Other Guy. The man had even had the courage to jab him in the side with a 'pointy thing' just to see his reaction. It was in fact that confidence in his ability to control the Other Guy – the trust and loyalty and friendship – that had made Bruce return for the battle in New York.

And now, though it pained him to admit it, Bruce Banner missed his Science Bro.

He really wished he had accepted the other man's generous offer of a tour of the Tower's R&D levels (which had not been too badly destroyed). He really wanted to be around someone who appreciated not only him, but the Hulk as well.

And, not to mention, the Other Guy had liked Tin Man; he would not have saved him otherwise. For once the two of them were in complete agreement.

Bruce took his glasses from their resting place on his nose and cleaned them against his gritty shirt. Checking them in the light, he sighed and replaced them on his face. At least the smudges were more even spread out now.

A soft whooshing of air caught the attention of the ever-vigilant doctor, and Bruce looked around in alarm. The Other Guy stirred within him. It sure sounded a lot like a missile.

Scanning the sky, the genius scientist caught the glint something flashing on the horizon. It was approaching by the second, at a startlingly fast speed.

Bruce opened his mouth to shout a warning to the villagers, when suddenly the Other Guy was fighting to be on top. It made the doctor double over and gasp as they fought for superiority in the mind.

Tin Man! I want to see Tin Man! Let Hulk out! Tin Man!

Bruce squeezed his eyes shut and could barely focus on anything outside of his body as he thought back furiously. Stop, there are innocents here! Stay back.

Tin Man! Tin Man!

Totally unaware of his surroundings, Bruce did not hear the surprised shouts of the villagers or the loud roar of repulsor engines. He did, however, feel the slight tremor in the earth as something heavy landed only a few metres away.

"Doctor Banner, you're looking… a little green around the gills."

"…What?" Bruce looked up from his crouched position as the Other Guy became more subdued.

See? I right. Tin Man here.

"You know, a little green around the gills? Like you're going to spill your guts on this fine Indian soil?"

Bruce frowned in bemusement as the Iron Man synthesized voice sighed.

"Jokes lose their awesomeness when they have to be explained. You're doubled over, clutching your stomach as if in pain. I could see the slight greening in your skin – the Hulk wanted to play. So-"

"Tony, stop. That's not why I was confused."

"Oh. Good. I thought that you'd been losing your touch there, not understanding that joke. Wait. Why are you confused? Why can no one just assume that I want to just have a friendly chat?"

A raised eyebrow. "…Do you?"

"No. Don't be ridiculous. I know how to pick up a phone and call someone. Why would I come all this way in my suit just to chat with you? Not that I don't enjoy our stimulating conversations, Doc. Just, you know, long distance relationships are hard."

Bruce rubbed his forehead. "Tony-"

"Just a sec." The helmet of the suit was released with a hiss, and the billionaire lifted it off to rest under his arm. He smiled, gesturing with the other hand. "Continue."

"I suppose this is the part where I ask, why are you here?"

"Simple. 'Cause I want you to be in New York's Central Park in one week's time."

Bruce fiddled with his fingers and looked anywhere but at Tony. "I don't do crowded places."

"You didn't even ask why. There could be some global crisis that requires the Hulk."

"Then the meeting date wouldn't be in a week."

"What if I told you that I all of the Avengers (minus Thor, cause how on Earth am I meant to make an intergalactic phone call?) will be there."

"Then, yes, I would ask why."

Tony nodded. "Good. Be there and I'll tell you." The billionaire gave his signature smirk before replacing the Iron Man helmet. "10.30 am at Central Park, Dr Banner."

"I haven't agreed to anything. New York and I aren't a good match."

"Right. Sure. See you then." He fired up the repulsors and Iron Man shot into the distance before Bruce could reply.

The scientific genius sighed and closed his eyes, already trying to mentally prepare for the maelstrom to come.

His face lit up with a small smile.

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**Review? Please? It's so easy... :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! So... This chapter is a bit longer than the last. :)  
That small fact ****_could_**** be interpreted as an apology because I also may have a********bit of bad news...  
I'm going to be busy with life (I may have procrastinated with my school assignments and now it's all building up and is due within the next fortnight) so for the next few weeks updates may come a bit slower. Hopefully not but... this is just a warning. **

**So! Anyway, ENJOY! :D**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing.**

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**CHAPTER FIVE:**

Wednesday – the meeting day

Stark was late. In fact, they all were late.

Or maybe that was just Steve feeling annoyed at having arrived 10 minutes too early.

He stood on the exact spot Thor had been when he and Loki 'beamed' back to Asgard, waiting awkwardly for the others to arrive. There were ordinary citizens passing by, some joggers and others young families with strollers. It was a beautiful day to be out with the sun out and shining brilliantly despite a fresh breeze.

The soldier was gradually relaxing as he stood waiting, no longer standing ramrod straight. He was enjoying the scenery, and the fact that he was not one of those people bustling along with busy lives, so much that he got lost in the moment and was completely oblivious to the arrival of the assassins.

"Day-dreaming, Rogers?"

The super solder did not feel startled.

"Romanoff, Barton. Glad you could make it." Said agents were standing behind him, in jeans and shirts, looking completely nonchalant and blending in perfectly like the spies they were.

Reaching out a hand, both of them shook it casually but firmly. "I should have figured Stark would come late. Banner's more of a surprise."

"Who's counting the seconds? My minute hand still says 10.30 am." The doctor approached them, his hands fidgety and he kept glancing around as though nervous.

"Doctor." Steve nodded his head and smiled slightly. "Didn't think Stark had managed to convince you to come in the end."

"Well, Tony… is an oddity."

Barton snorted. "Amen to that."

"So, where have you been the last few months, Doctor?"

Banner raised an eyebrows at the seemingly innocent question posed by Natasha. "Am I supposed to believe you haven't been tracking my whereabouts? Or is this supposed to put me off guard and make me believe that you aren't following my every step?"

"As I have previously told you, SHIELD monitors the movements of all potential threats. That includes everyone here."

"So you are saying they know we are all here, meeting, right now?"

There was silence.

"I thought this was meant to be a private meeting."

"And it is." A familiar billionaire strode towards them, after having stepped out of a sleek black limo with tinted windows that had pulled up by the side of the walking track. Steve felt his gut twist painfully as he was reminded of the cocky attitude of his long-dead friend. "That's why SHIELD currently thinks that the Captain took a plane to Australia, instead of America. They think that our resident spy and assassin are touring Berlin, and that the good doctor here never left India. Now come along. In you go." The genius gestured to the vehicle, which had the back door wide open.

"SHIELD isn't going to be fooled for long. And they'll track it back to you."

"Such faith in their abilities, Little Spider." Stark smirked. "But, that's why you should hurry up and get in the car so that I can explain everything."

"…Why do I feel like I'm being kidnapped?" Barton narrowed his eyes and glared at the billionaire.

Steve sighed and made his way to the vehicle. "We've come this far; might as well find out what this is all about." Bruce also made his way to the vehicle – probably eager to get out of the public eye – while the SHIELD agents trailed behind more reluctantly.

"Goody. Happy, take a long route back to the Tower." Stark hurried in to the limo behind them all and instructed his driver. "Say... 20 minutes."

"Sure thing, boss," came the reply and a screen slid shut between the body of the limo and the driving area. Steve guessed that it was so that they could discuss in private.  
Stark settled himself into a seat by Banner prodding him playfully (dangerously) in the side. "You came!"

"You actually asked nicely." The doctor shot a glance in the direction of Natasha.

"So, what's this about, Stark?" Barton shifted forward on his seat between Natasha and Steve.

"I'm well, and it's nice to see you too, Legolas. Thanks for asking."

"Stark-" Steve could hear the annoyance in his voice. They were all curious and just wanted a straight answer.

"If you're so desperate to tell us, tell us, Stark. No games. Or I'm getting out at the next corner."

The billionaire huffed. "Fine." He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and sighed, shaking his head. Again he tried to speak, but then seemed to reconsider and bit his lip looking unsure on what to say. Tony Stark. Unsure.

"Stark. Stop with the drama. The suspense is annoying me." Stark shuddered, actually looking alarmed at the prospect of a truly annoyed Black Widow.

"Okay. Fine. I'll just say it." He took in a deep breath.

"Spit. It. Out." Now even the cool and calm Steve was getting annoyed.

The billionaire met all of their eyes slowly, deadly serious. "Coulson's alive."

Stunned silence.

"…What?"

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They took the news surprisingly…

Badly.

Burton had burst into accusations that he was lying, practically shouting in his face that it was not funny to make crude jokes about dead people. Natasha had glared at him with a look that was absolutely murderous. She had simply said "Ha. Ha. Ha. Hilarious, Stark" and had radiated anger at such intensity that it surpassed that of the Hulk.

Rogers had frowned disappointedly at him, shaking his head and muttering that it was a waste of time coming to America. The easy dismissal of his claim had hurt the small boy in him that just wanted his father's approval – the love that had been given to Captain America instead.

Banner's reaction had been the calmest, but Tony supposed that it must have been all of the meditation practice. The scientist had his eyes closed as was simply sitting there, breathing hard, occasionally his skin taking on a green tinge.

Tony just shook his head as the tirade of accusations flew at him, both the verbal ones and the silent ones. Trying to block them all out, Tony reached for the file that he had placed on the seat next to him. A hand roughly grabbed his shirt and jerked him away.

"GOD DAMMIT! At least have the decency to LOOK AT ME!" Tony looked into the furious yet pained eyes of Barton.

"I. Am. Not. Lying." He gestured at the folder on the chair, never breaking eye contact from the grief-stricken man. "I can prove it."

The fight suddenly leaves Barton's eyes, and he lets go of the billionaire's shirt. Tony quickly grabs the file before he can be interrupted again. "Here. Direct from Fury's own secure laptop." He shot Rogers a glance, daring him to argue with that. "All of it is true. Judging by your reactions, I guess none of you knew."

There was silence as Natasha snatched the thick file from the billionaire's loose grasp and examined it. She silently closed it and shut her eyes. Taking a deep breath she nodded slowly and said tightly, "Stark's correct. Phil is alive."

They had stopped in the private parking area of Stark Industries. Happy rapped softly on the soundproof window separating him from the main body of the car. "We're back, boss."

"Thanks. Take the rest of the day off."

With a nod, Tony's personal driver stepped out of the car and walked away. There was a beat of silence in the vehicle.

"Come up to the private levels of the tower. I made sure each of you had rooms anyway. You can bunk here for the rest of the day. SHIELD won't figure anything out for at least the next 48 hours." Without waiting for a reply, the billionaire exited the limo.

Slowly, the four other Avengers followed.

They all felt lost and defeated by the confirmation that in fact, yes, Agent Phil Coulson had survived the invasion. For the last few months, each of them had been beating themselves up that he had died. Even though he had just been one of so many casualties, his death had hit the hardest.

Why had Fury lied to them? They had fought with all their might during the Battle of New York just to avenge a friend who had never died. And they had won. Coulson had been avenged.

But now they discovered that he had never needed avenging. The cause for their dedication to the fight had been a lie.

Sure, they would have saved New York either way. But still… It made the battle seem so much less satisfying - less like a true win. Fury had lied because he believed they weren't motivated enough.

Loki was right. They did lie and kill in the service of liars and killers.

And now the Avengers were pissed.

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**Reviews are always loved! 3**


	5. Chapter 5

Hi! So, I'm back with the final chapter. Eep, sorry i've been gone so long. Every time i tried writing this one the ending annoyed me. It's still not perfect, but I couldn't not post for so long, so here you go!

Disclaimer: Nothing Avengers related is mine. :(

**CHAPTER SIX:**

_Shortly after the 'Battle of New York'. Main Helicarrier._

Nicholas Fury was a hard man. He prided himself on the fact that he looked at the statistics and could make the best call that would benefit others despite his personal feelings. He did not relish the fact that he had to make such difficult calls, but make it he would.

One of those hard calls concerned the apparent death of his top agent. Phil Coulson had been pronounced dead at the scene, and was believed dead by most of the organization except for a select few of the higher-ups.

Not even Maria Hill knew the true status of his health. She thought him dead like the rest.

The question that currently weighed heavily on his mind was 'should he tell everyone that Phil was alive?' There were pros and cons that balanced out near perfectly, making his job so much harder. What was best for the world?

If he told everyone, he knew that he would get a lot of backlash for his choice of actions. If he never told anyone, Coulson would go on living the rest of his life as a ghost.

The director sighed and rubbed his throbbing temple. It would be an asset to have an agent proclaimed dead to the world. It would be cruel to everyone who knew him and the man himself, but it would be an asset. Nick knew that Coulson would outwardly agree and would continue being loyal to SHIELD, despite his personal misgivings. That was why he loved the man as an agent.

Phil was even better than Black Widow and Hawkeye combined.

And so the director came to his decision and stored the file away on his personal server. The world thought he was dead, but Fury knew the truth.

And that would come back to bite him in the ass.

_3 months later - a day after the meeting of the Avengers in Central Park. Main Helicarrier._

Tony Stark was a figure of respect and a formidable force to be reckoned with. Once the head of America's main and best weapons manufacturing company, now a reknown superhero, and a genius, billionaire, and philanthropist, the man could put on quite a strong aura of complete and utter control. He could sway the media to believe whatever he wanted them to, he could manipulate the CEO of other companies to give up money for his cause, and he could be damn scary when he wanted to.

Clint was secretly thankful that the creator of Iron Man was not angry at the other SHIELD agents and not him.

They had stormed onto the helicarrier, Cap with his shield held tightly in his grip, Natasha was her Widow Bites, and Thor with his hammer. And of course Clint had his trusty bow and quiver full of explosive arrows. Stark had only worn a pure black suit with designer sunglasses, yet still managed to be the most fear inspiring of them all.

When the five of them had first entered the facility with their weapons, a few agents had weakly tried to stop them. They very nearly collapsed under Stark's glare. When some of them – the braver ones – accused them all of turning traitorous, singling out Clint as the cause, Stark had left the men quivering and in a mess.

And these were seasoned agents.

"I want to see Old Nickety Nick Nicky. Now." An agent scrambled off to the director's private office. No doubt Fury already knew of their dramatic entrance, and was planning his own entrance.

"You wanted to see me, you didn't have to break half my agents. Are appointments really that hard to make?" And Clint was right. The director's one good eye was fixed on Stark as he said this, but afterwards flickered to all of theirs. It narrowed on his and Natasha's.

"Something you wanted to tell me, Stark?"

The billionaire took a threatening step forward. "No more games. I want answers. Tell me where Phil is. Right now."

Fury sighed, shutting his one good eye. "So you know."

"Hell yes, we know."

"Director, why were we not informed of his true status?" Steve was hefting his shield on his arm.

"Because you did not need to know."

"Like hell we didn't!" Clint clenched his hand on his bow angrily. "He was my handler for 21 years!"

"Agent, you did not need to know."

"Bullshit." The director looked in surprise at the usually polite-mouthed doctor. "You wanted him for top secret missions. Missions that no 'existing' person would dare take on. He serves as your ghost – someone who is not strictly your agent and cannot be tied back to SHIELD if captured because he is 'dead'."

Fury simply tilted his head.

"I bet his playing cards weren't even in his pocket. You're worse than Loki, you manipulative bastard," spat Stark.

"I-"

"Don't even try to defend your actions!" Clint growled. The director opened his mouth to speak, but then – after seeing the gleam in Natasha's eye and hearing her soft "try it and I'd very much like that' – he seemed to rethink his words.

"So tell me, why did you all burst in here guns blazing and scaring the shit out of my agents? What do you hope to achieve?"

"We would very much like to see our favourite man from the dead."

"You could have just asked nicely."

There was a glint in Stark's eye and his grin was like a shark's. "This is nicely."

"Trust me, sir, this is better than some of their other ideas."

The director looked between all of the determined Avengers. He shook his head. "I cannot disclose-"

"Sir, they did ask nicely… I suppose."

Clint whirled around at the sound of that familiar voice.

There, standing in his signature suit, stood Phil Coulson. The man looked none the worse for wear since last they saw him – 3 months ago just prior to his 'death'. However, there were a few greyer strands in his already thinning hair.

"I hear you were looking for me."

The 'dead' agent gazed at each of them with assessing eyes. When Phil looked at Clint, the archer locked eyes with him. In one swift movement, he strode forward and punched his ex-handler hard across the jaw.

"If you ever, I repeat ever, pull a stunt like that again, I swear I will put an arrow through your heart – scratch that – ten arrows through your heart just to make sure you are."

The older agent wiped the blood off his split lip and took the proffered arm that hauled him to his feet. "Noted."

"Good." The archer nodded satisfactorily.

"Agent Coulson. What are you doing on board the Helicarrier?"

The man frowned. "I got a message from you personally, sir, telling me that it was urgent to get back to HQ." He turned to face the smirk on Stark's face. "Obviously, your line isn't as secure as you thought."

"Stark-"

"Guilty." The billionaire shrugged suavely as the director radiated fury, but took a step away cautiously and ruined his nonchalant affect.

"Sir, if I may, I don't mind the Avengers finding out."

Fury turned his gaze on his most loyal agent. "Agent Coulson, your new line of work relies solely on your identity remaining hidden. Do you really want to risk being known by even more?"

"Sir..." Phil looked at the faces of the Avengers, "… I don't mind. They won't leek any intel. Besides, did you really think that my status as alive was going to remain a secret forever? We're good, but not that good."

"As I've proven. You can be hacked real easy, Nicky," pointed out Stark.

He glared back and forth between everyone, assessing. "Fine. It's not like I can stop you doing as you choose. Agent, would you like to return to your duty as the handler of the Avengers?"

The once-thought dead agent looked from Avenger to Avenger. It had annoyed him that his status of 'alive' had been kept from them, but being the obedient SHIELD agent he was, he had followed Fury's orders. Now, he had the opportunity again to work with those whom he once idealized – specifically Captain America.

"Yes, Director; it would be my pleasure."

The ride back to the Tower was surprisingly silent. The heroes of New York and the world were too busy munching on their shawarma.

"Remind me again, why did we go and buy shawarma? It's particularly… disgusting."

Tony scoffed. "It's the official Avengers' party food! We're celebrating another victory!"

"Yeah. It's almost as though we aren't actually the avengers of the world; more like the avengers of one Agent Coulson."

"First protecting the world from Loki – or more like avenging a certain person's death."

"Then, going to rip Fury a new one – or more like taking revenge because that same person was actually alive."

"You really do seem to make us assemble – the one thing Stark and I can agree on." Said billionaire raised an eyebrow at Steve but did not argue.

The Avengers all grinned around their food as they admitted less than patriotic reasons for their actions as a team. Phil Coulson had never felt so happy while eating nauseating food.

**Done! Review! Was the ending lame, or good? TELL ME PLS :D (but no flaming)**


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